The Detroit Lions will pick no lower than second in April’s draft, so they might as well end the season on a winning note
The Detroit Lions will finish their season this Sunday by hosting the Green Bay Packers. Unlike the Packers, who have secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Lions will be going home to watch the postseason.
These are two teams heading in different directions. The Lions will finish in the NFC North basement. Thhe Packers are one of the favorites to be playing in the Super Bowl.
The Lions’ 2021 season has been one of frustration. They have played many tight games, losing six by one score. Add those losses to their two wins, and they would have been in the playoff race.
The big picture is that the Lions are in the first year of their rebuild, while the Packers are pushing all their chips to the center of the table in hopes of winning it all. The direction of the two franchises could look very different shortly.
The Lions might as well go out and win on Sunday
Regardless of whether the Lions win or lose to the Packers, they will mostly hold the No. 2 pick in April’s draft. The only chance Detroit has of getting the No. 1 pick back is if the Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the playoff contending Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Needless to say, the chances of the Jaguars coming through are pretty slim.
There is a question of how much the Packers will play their starters on Sunday. While there are a lot of quality players on the Green Bay roster, there will downgrades across the board if Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, etc. play little or not at all.
The Lions, on the other hand, will have as many of their best players on the field as health will allow. And surely for the entire game.
So the Lions might as well go out and kick the tar out of the Packers. Then fans can be left with a better taste in their mouths as a losing season comes to an end.